Sam Moore Biography

The first 20-plus years of Sam Moore’s sensational career began by lending his unmistakable lead vocals to GRAMMY Award-winning, Memphis-based Stax Records, soul duo Sam & Dave. Songs like “Hold On I’m Coming,” “I Thank You,” “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby,” “Soul Sister,” and the 1967 smash hit “Soul Man,” catapulted the duo’s career up the Pop and R&B Charts, selling more than 10 million records worldwide and earning them lasting fame. Their signature sound and widespread success earned them an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

While Sam has tremendous love and respect for the music he created as part of the duo, he has also scored critical acclaim as a solo artist for more than 35 years.

Performing from one side of the globe to the other, Sam has made appearances at some of the world’s most iconic venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Hollywood Bowl, Ryman Auditorium, The Grand Old Opry, Royal Albert Hall, Nippon Budokan, and The John F. Kennedy Center. The White House, Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument are among other notable venues at which Sam has performed.

Sam as a solo artist has received numerous awards including the coveted NARAS Heroes Award, an AFTRA AMEE Lifetime Achievement Award, the ETAM Living Legend Award, Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award, a MOBO Lifetime Achievement Award. Sam was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame for “Soul Man,” and in 2016 his star was permanently placed in the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rolling Stone Magazine named Sam Moore among the “Top 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.”

Sam has enjoyed recording success in numerous genres, including country music over the years – thanks to his 1993 collaboration with Conway Twitty on “Rainy Night In Georgia,” which was the last recording of Twitty’s career and considered one of the Top 100 Country Duets of all time. This recording garnered Sam and Conway CMA and ACM nominations. He has shared the stage with country artists ranging from Brenda Lee and Ronnie Milsap to Vince Gill and George Jones. Sam entered the world of bluegrass in 2014, collaborating with Nu-Blu on “Jesus and Jones,” which garnered national attention and became a critically acclaimed single for both Moore and Nu-Blu.

Sam’s 2006 Overnight Sensational album release, produced by American Idol’s Randy Jackson, included collaborations with friends and fans like Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Sting, Eric Clapton, Travis Tritt, Billy Gibbons, Steve Winwood, Billy Preston, and Wynonna Judd. Sam’s collaboration with Billy Preston, Clapton, Robert Randolph, Zucchero on the song “You Are So Beautiful” earned a Grammy nomination in the same year.

Apart from Sam’s musical career, the Legendary Soul Man™ can be seen in numerous movies and documentaries including Blues Brothers 2000, Tapeheads, One Trick Pony and Only The Strong Survive. He’s appeared on hundreds of television shows dating back to The Ed Sullivan Show through The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, CBS Sunday Morning Feature, and The Today Show.

In the advent of this 80th birthday on October 12, 2015, Sam had much to celebrate career-wise. That year marked the 50th anniversary of signing his contract with Atlantic Records which sent him to Memphis and launched his career at the Atlantic Stax Records Studio, and it also marked Sam’s 60th year as a recording artist, getting his start in his hometown of Miami’s famed “Overtown.” Sam was inducted into both the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and Memphis Music Hall of Fame.

While 2016 was still busy musically for Sam, June, brought a personal surprise for the Legendary Soul Man™. He discovered that he had ten biological half-brothers and sisters fathered by his dad “Bo.” Fans can expect a documentary about his journey is in the works.

As he approaches his 82nd birthday, Sam is releasing his newest album, Sam Moore: An American Patriot, this September, which features exclusive renditions of iconic American classics including “God Bless America,” “Star Spangled Banner,” and “Show For You,” the 2017 Department of Defense Warrior Games anthem, done in Sam’s uniquely distinguishable style. His patriotic album was inspired by Sam’s own performance of “America the Beautiful” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where his dear friend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood 53 years earlier delivering his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Sam is participating in the BBC Proms tribute to the barrier-breaking International 1967 Stax-Volt Tour this September. The tribute, held at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall. Fans can expect exciting new projects from Sam this fall with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of his GRAMMY-award winning hit-turned lifelong identity, “Soul Man.”

Sam has recently joined Florida International University (FIU) as he Artist in Residence for their Center of Humanities to build a program around the artist histories that shaped our culture through music.